Seven people were killed in a helicopter crash in the Gaurikund area of Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district early Sunday morning. The chopper, travelling from Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi, went down around 5.30 am due to poor weather conditions, reported IANS.

 Among those killed were five pilgrims, the pilot, and an employee of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee. The victims were from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

The passengers on board the helicopter have been identified as Shraddha Rajkumar Jaiswal (35) and a two-year-old child, Kashi, both from Maharashtra; Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal (41) from Gujarat; Vikram Singh Rawat from Uttarakhand; Vinood Devi (66) and Tushti Singh (19), both from Uttar Pradesh; and the pilot, Captain Rajveer Singh Chauhan.

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Rescue operations are in progress, with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams deployed to the scene. The helicopter reportedly crashed into a forested slope above Gauri Mai Khark. Officials attributed the crash to "poor visibility and adverse weather."

SDRF personnel are currently moving toward the location to aid recovery efforts. This latest accident comes shortly after a separate helicopter-related incident on June 7, when a chopper heading to Kedarnath from the Badasu helipad encountered a mid-air technical snag.

The malfunction occurred just two metres off the ground, prompting the pilot to make an emergency landing on the Rudraprayag-Gaurikund highway, right below the helipad.

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While the rotor blades struck the front of a nearby shop and the helicopter’s tail section fell onto a parked car, there were no casualties among pedestrians or passing vehicles. The pilot, who suffered a back injury, was immediately taken to the hospital and later referred to a more advanced medical facility. All five passengers on board were unharmed.

Adding to the series of aviation mishaps in the region, another deadly crash took place in Uttarkashi on the morning of May 8. A helicopter en route from Sahastradhara helipad to Harshil crashed near Gangani on the Gangotri National Highway.

Of the seven people on board, six, including the pilot, died at the scene. The only survivor, who sustained critical injuries, was taken to AIIMS Rishikesh for specialised care.

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